On October 26, the news from Doha that its Court of First Instance had awarded the death sentence to eight Indian Navy veterans working there sent shock waves across India. The Ministry of External Affairs extended “absolute support” to the veterans and promised to make every effort to bring them home. A former Indian Ambassador to Qatar has been tasked with monitoring the case from New Delhi.
Editorial | Mystery trial: On the case of the former Indian Navy personnel in Qatar
This is perhaps the first instance in five decades of Indian migration to the Gulf that any Indian nationals have been accused of involvement in a breach of local security, and their culpability deemed serious enough to warrant the death penalty. The facts relating to the case are meagre: the eight veterans — three captains, four commanders, and a sailor — were employed with a local company, Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services. The company, now closed down, provided training and other support services to the Qatari Navy. The eight naval officials, in detention since August 2022, are accused of espionage. Some sections of the media reported that the officials disclosed to Israel the specifications of an Italian submarine that Qatar contracted to obtain from an Italian company, Fincantieri. But this has been disputed: it has been asserted authoritatively that there is no ongoing submarine contract and no Israeli connection.
Speculation in the media
The absence of hard information has encouraged some of the most outlandish speculations in sections of the Indian media, generally reflecting the political biases or prejudices of the authors. One writer on a right-wing platform has described Qatar as acting “like a wannabe caliphate and an Islamist sanctuary”, hosting an “entire menagerie of terrorists”.
The Pakistani role in the imbroglio is another favourite with some Indian commentators. Pakistani social media posts have been quoted to suggest that the Indians were arrested following a tip-off from Pakistan, while some posts on Indian social media have asserted that the naval officials have been “framed” by Pakistani agencies. No evidence is proffered in either case. An Indian writer has speculated that the sentence is aimed at derailing India’s closeness to the Israel-UAE-Saudi axis, though such an “axis” has yet to emerge. He also believes that Qatar could be sending a cautionary American message to curtail India’s growing assertiveness in world affairs. Since the death sentence was announced three weeks into the Gaza conflict, a retired Indian Army officer has speculated that the Indian government’s public hostility towards Hamas could have led to the sentence. In their anxiety to explain the harsh sentence, even some serious commentators have been led astray: one of them views the sentence as a “challenge [to] the foundations of an essentially strong relationship” that should “provoke a rethink in India about the future sustainability of this relationship”.
While the sense of shock is understandable, the outburst of rage and prejudice serves no useful purpose. We would do well to note that Qatar, though a small Gulf state, has close ties with the U.S., other western powers, and Iran and Turkey. It has been in the vanguard of regional diplomacy for over two decades. This role has been sustained by its serious and well-informed royal leadership, backed by outstanding diplomats.
Unlike some of its neighbours, Qatar’s political initiatives tend to be low-key and behind-the-scenes, such as its recent role in brokering U.S.-Taliban interactions in Doha, but this should not detract from the measured manner with which it approaches bilateral and regional challenges.
Following from this, we should accept that that the espionage case and the role of India’s naval veterans would have been thoroughly investigated and sentences pronounced only on the basis of hard evidence, however painful this might be for us. There have also been suggestions that, given the close ties between India and Qatar, the results of the investigations could have been shared with the appropriate Indian officials. Again, given the harsh sentences meted out, an Israeli role in the sordid imbroglio cannot be ruled out.
We would do well to remember that all countries, including India, take national security matters very seriously and adopt a tough posture where espionage is involved. And, hardly ever are the full details of the investigation and the judicial process brought into the public domain.
Security issue
My understanding of this unfortunate matter is as follows. First, this is a stand-alone security issue and the sentences have no link with bilateral ties with India or developments in regional politics. I believe this has been fully explained to the Indian officials concerned. Second, during this period of detention, patience and restraint are called for from our media. Communal abuse, name-calling, and fevered speculations serve no purpose; in fact, as we saw in the Nupur Sharma matter, they only vitiate the atmosphere. This would be a good time to silence the hate factories in India and abroad that are feverishly contributing to expanding the communal divide at home and in our neighbourhood. Third, our focus should be on intense behind-the-scenes diplomatic engagement with Qatar on freeing the veterans, while publicly affirming the importance of our long-standing, substantial and mutually beneficial ties.
As Rudyard Kipling warned us, “If you can keep your head when all about you/Are losing theirs and blaming it on you…”
Talmiz Ahmad is former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE
